Carla: Spring Shoot by the sea

 

I’d been almost a year since I’d worked with Carla and I was immediately struck by how far her confidence had grown since then, though she had lost none of her humility, warmth, and charm. She’d approached me about a winter fashion shoot but then decided she fancied shooting in Spring when the weather was more temperate. She proposed a beach theme with a mix of dresses and swimwear, which was a little different from recent commissions, so an easy “yes” on my part.

After some discussion, we decided upon Walcott Beach in Norfolk and took a gamble on the weather. Despite being dry for several weeks, various forecasts were predicting rain, but that’s a calculated risk with location shoots and just calls for some forward planning and creativity. I took my trusty A6300, which has reasonable weather sealing along with my full frame A7 and 40mm lens.

Carla’s bikini hadn’t arrived, so she brought several dresses with denim shorts and crop top as contrast. Thankfully the weather held, and the strong tide offered some powerful, natural effect. Working on location also requires some sensitivity to those around you. I am particularly careful around children and families, but aside from the odd curious and decidedly soggy spaniel we had large areas of beach to ourselves. Oh, and the weather proved equally well-mannered. 

Bella & Kristen

 Bella invited me to do another shoot and this time with her friend Kristen. I’ve only done a couple of duo shoots and I’m usually very cautious if I don’t know one, or indeed both parties. Having worked with Bella on two earlier occasions, I was confident she would choose someone who had a similarly professional attitude.  

They were eager to continue the lingerie theme of our last shoot but in a woodland setting. The window of opportunity was short, given the potential temperature and lighting constraints, so they wanted to shoot promptly. Thankfully, we had free time the following week, which was dry and more temperate. We’re talking high teens, which is still comfortable for lingerie and to a lesser extent glamour themes.  

Bella had chosen a location in Drayton, which was suitably secluded and at that time of day, had minimal footfall- the odd dog walker and mountain biker. In practice, this also included the odd teenager taking the scenic route home, but they kept a respectful, if slightly awkward distance. Kristen is new to modelling, which is significant since bad experiences mean I generally politely swerve aspiring models. However, there are (almost) always exceptions to any rule and in this instance, the gamble paid off.   

Bella is 5’7 (1m70) Kristen is slightly taller at 5’9 (1m80) both within what some suggest is the ideal height for a female model. This also made for a very compatible pairing, given the theme they wanted to explore.  I tend to break the ice and test settings by starting with portraits and headshots.  

A technique I’m told Kristen appreciated and helped establish a comfortable rapport. Two hours is generally my sweet spot for shooting, especially with newer models. It allows for rapport, changes in style/pace, and breaks to recap and recharge. This set was taken using my faithful A600/Viltrox 33mm (about 1.3 in) 1.4 and A6300 with 60mm (about 2.36 in) Sigma 2.8 (set to f.3.2).